The Darkness Within
by saberstorm
Summary: A short oneshot to get me back into the habit of writing after graduating college.  Jade has a secret, one that she can't keep hidden forever; one that could destroy her from within...


The Darkness Within

Summary: A short oneshot to get me back into the habit of writing after graduating college. Jade has a secret, one that she can't keep hidden forever; one that could destroy her from within...

Insert Disclaimer

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Walking home after a long day of high school, Jade Chan's spirits were high. She had aced her math test, managed to prove her history teacher wrong on his theories about Chinese Mythology ("Thank you Uncle Jackie for taking me to see those ruins!"), and had finally gotten permission to start a Martial Arts Club. A few boys she knew asked her out, but she wasn't interested. Even though she was 17 years old now, her adventurous spirit refused to make room for dating or romance.

Then she felt the chill.

A cold, tingling feeling, like bugs crawling up her spine. Uncle called the sensation "willies", but to her, it was less of a warning sign and more of a demand or an instinct. It started soon after she got her internship at Section 13, when a nightmare woke her up in a cold sweat. Only her willpower kept her from screaming out loud when she saw the effects that night. Now, there was only one thing to do to keep the nightmares at bay.

Spotting an alleyway ahead, she resisted the urge to dive into it and forced herself to walk as if she was taking a shortcut home. Carefully picking her way across piles of trash long forgotten, she made her way back into the alley's darkest corners. Checking to make sure she was hidden from view, she relaxed, allowing the cold feeling to flow through the rest of her body. She shivered, but once it was over, and ironic warmth spread through her, as if the shadows she was standing in were welcoming her.

In a way, they were.

Her blue skin tingled and her red eyes burned, as they always did after her transformation. Sitting down in what appeared to be the only clean spot on the ground, resting against the building behind her. Knowing it would be some time before she changed back, she tried to think of something to occupy her time. Instead, her mind directed her to the night it all began.

_Jade woke suddenly from her sleep, to scared and disturbed to scream. Trying to calm her breathing, she reassured herself that it was just a dream. No matter how real it had felt, it was just a dream._

_She was in a dark execution chamber, flanked by Shadowkahn on either side. Other observers were there too, each flanked by their own Shadowkahn guard and dressed in black clothing fit for royalty. Family after family were brought into the execution chamber, bound by magical ropes, some sobbing and begging for mercy. The Shadowkahn waited until someone gave the order, and then killed every member, regardless of their age. Though most were at least her age or older, the last family brought in was the worst._

_A man, his wife, and their infant child. The baby was bawling its lungs out, and both parents begged that their child be spared. It was denied, and all three were killed before her. As the other observers left, she stayed, staring at the dead bodies. Fear gripped her as she recognized the lifeless faces as that of her own Uncle Jackie and her recent Aunt Viper. The infant was obviously theirs._

_She turned her eyes away from the grizzly scene, only to catch her reflection in the polished obsidian armor of one of her own guards. She wasn't human. She was a Shadowkahn!_

_She had been the one ordering those deaths!_

_The shock from the realization had woken her, and she closed her eyes as the images assaulted her mind again. To try and banish them, she looked at her own arm, hoping that seeing her normal skin tone would banish the image of her blue-skinned persona._

_Her arm was blue._

_Jumping from the bed, she skidded to a stop in front of her mirror. She saw a female Shadowkahn, scared, surprised, and wearing her clothes and face. Her expression of shock was easily mirrored in her reflection, and she stared for a good while before she closed her eyes and willed herself to be normal. When she next opened them, she saw herself, without blue skin and with normal eyes._

Shanking her head, Jade pulled away from her memories. Ever since that night, the feeling, the need to "go ninja" would rise up on occasion. Every time she denied it, the nightmares returned. Her only outlet was to hide, let the transformation take place, and then wait till the feeling passed before turning back into her normal self. Thankfully, she had no desire to cause acts of evil when the transformation took place, indicating that she remained her true self when it occurred.

But it was like a drug, an addiction that ate away at her and caused her to worry when she had nothing else to occupy her time. The urges were growing more frequent, they lasted longer, and it was getting harder to turn back to normal. Also, her powers began to return. She could manipulate the shadows around her, hiding her from sight when transformed. She couldn't quite slip in and out of them, but she could summon a single Shadowkahn to keep her company or help her when needed. She was initially surprised when she found she could summon any of the nine tribes, but it was nothing compared to when she found she could summon a tenth.

The Tenth Tribe. It was _her_ tribe. They existed, because she did. They were Kunoichi, and all-female tribe of Shadowkahn, and they had a specialty that no other tribe she knew had.

The Kunoichi could speak. It wasn't often, and it was usually one word answers to a question of some sort. The longest answer Jade had ever received from them occurred not to long ago, when she asked a question that had vexed her since her ordeal began.

Why?

Why was this happening? Why was it happening to her? Why did the Kunoichi suddenly exist when they never did before?

Jade sighed, feeling the need to be a Shadowkahn fade and turned back into a normal human. Carefully making her way back into the streets, she walked back to Uncle's shop, said a quick hello to her family, and then went to her room.

Lying down on her bed, she stared up at the ceiling, a wave of apathy suddenly filling her. Thinking back to the time she asked her question, she softly whispered the answer the Kunoichi had given her, as if it would solve all her problems.

It was her fate, however much she wanted to avoid it, to fight against it. She would never escape it, because no matter how far you run, you can never escape the truth. Eventually, she would be unable to keep it hidden, and would be forced to embrace it.

"I am the Queen of all Shadowkahn."


End file.
